New coupe a coup for Audi

The updated Audi TT coupe promises better handling and more extensive features.

Audi's new TT coupe arrives in New Zealand in October. First launched in 1998, the TT became a cult car for anyone for whom design is the ultimate expression of the automotive art.

It was a vehicle that looked fantastic inside and out, but the driving experience - though dynamic enough for most buyers - couldn't deliver on the cutting edge promise made by those looks.

Though still loosely based on VW's Golf, this new TT will be different. Audi knows it cannot sell enough on looks alone and must counter the charms of Merc's SLK, Porsche's Cayman and even Nissan's more down-market 350Z.

Arguably the greatest change is the car's aluminium space-frame construction, with its body of 69 per cent aluminium and 31 per cent steel. The latter, crucially, is largely placed in the rear floorpan to improve weight distribution, Audi claiming a 58:42 front to rear balance.

All that aluminium also helped cut its weight - this longer, wider and more spacious car is now 60kg lighter than its predecessor.

The seats sit lower in that body to ease entry without interrupting the sweeping line of the roof, yet the high waistline ensures the cosseting feel of the cockpit has been retained.

Again, this is a two-plus-two coupe for folk with undemanding and above all diminutive rear passengers. Most will forgo those seats and fold them flat, thus liberating 410 additional litres of boot space.

At the heart of the car is a 3.2-litre V6 engine mounted transversely lower and further back, again to improve weight distribution. The naturally aspirated unit offers 184kW at 6300rpm and 318Nm on tap from 2500 to 3000rpm.

Yes, the Cayman is more powerful, but the TT's aluminium diet has cut its power-to-weight ratio from 124 to 129kW per tonne, to take it from zero to 100kph in 5.7 seconds. That's 0.3 seconds slower than the Porsche, but a good half a second quicker than the outgoing car.

This 3.2-litre TT puts power to all four wheels either through a six-speed manual or an updated S-tronic gearbox. Formerly called DSG, the double-clutch affair is either a very efficient fully automatic or operated manually via steering-wheel-mounted paddles, though so effective is the set-up that few will better the auto's efficiency.

The same transmission appears in the 2.0-litre turbocharged entry-level car, the direct-injection four developing 147kW for a 0-100kph time of 6.4 seconds.

The old TT's handling foibles mandated a spoiler retro-fit. This generation also gets the spoiler, which extends when drivers exceed 120kph.

Early feedback indicates this time the spoiler is no life preserver, but a dynamic aid to a truly dynamic car.

The wider track might have offered a clue, combined with a more sophisticated suspension tuned to offer less pitch and roll, and better control over mid-corner bumps.

Of course, not all buyers will seek a dynamic equal to Porsche's Cayman. Some will still buy this car for its looks alone. It's these buyers Audi will be courting with a promised extensive features list, from auto air con to the multi-media interface and the adaptive dynamic cornering light system.

Of course there'll be stability and traction control - the techno-wizardry here augmented by adjustable magnetic dampers. Price? We'll have to wait but expect TT to undercut Cayman and look BMW's equivalent Z4 squarely in the eye.